Another Rory, Another Lorelei
by kkolmakov
Summary: This story starts as soon as the infamous four words fall off Rory's lips; and it's the story of Gilmore girls; a small town; a big city; a diner owner; a married couple; a writer, or two; old and new loves; and the questions life poses, and every person has to answer for themselves. [The story picks up after Gilmore Girls: A Year in Life.] *ON HIATUS*
1. Prologue

**A/N: I've been the fan of the show for years, and I've just finished watching _A Year in the Life_. And of course all possible ideas and plot twists started twirling in my head. Let's see where it takes us, shall we? :)**

PROLOGUE

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant."

Lorelei studied Rory's face.

"You aren't kidding, right? Because, kid, that wouldn't be a funny joke. Basically, it would be like the whole _Spy_ movie, but without Statham's hilarious attempts to act..."

"Mom!" Rory sighed, while Lorelei alternatively nodded and then shook her head.

"OK, OK… It's Logan's right? Or… Oh my god, is it Jess'?" Lorelei gasped.

"What?! No!" Rory stared at her mom. "Why would it be Jess'?"

"I mean, I seemed to have noticed something… And Luke said..."

"Mom! No! Jess and I are just friends! He's Luke's nephew, and there's the wedding, and we have all this history… We just talked about my book, because he gave me this idea!"

Lorelei gave her daughter a wide eyed look, clearly taken aback. "And I'm still not over it! He has no right to stick his nose into it!"

"Mom, I'm pregnant! Don't you think it's more important to discuss it? I mean, it's not like we're actually discussing it, it's not a discussable question. It's just more of..." Rory rubbed her forehead. "More of me letting you know. Because..." She took a deep breath in. "Because you're my best friend."

Lorelei's face wavered. "And you're mine… But Rory..."

"I know," Rory interrupted. "It's not… ideal. And it's Logan, and he's engaged, and I have no job, and..."

"So, you're keeping it." Lorelei gave her a cautious look.

"Yeah," Rory answered simply.

"Rory, you're pregnant!" Lorelei cried out.

"Did it just hit you?" Rory laughed against her will.

"Yeah… God, Rory, a baby… I mean, I get the irony, and the karmic symmetry, and the whole _Chocolate_ thing - the movie, not the book. And the whole… Oh, god, if it's a girl, are you naming her Lorelei?"

Rory laughed.

"Sure. And if it's a boy?"

"Rory can be a boy's name," Lorelei offered, and then lunged ahead, and pressed Rory into herself. "Oh, Rory..."

She squeezed her daughter in tight embrace, and in a second Rory returned the hug.

Lorelei sniffled.

"Oy with the poodles already," Rory joked, but her voice was choked. Lorelei let her go and straightened up.

The two women looked at each other.

"What are you going to do?" Lorelei asked in a small voice.

Rory took a long measured breath in. "The first thing I'm going to do is…"

 _ **To be continued...**_


	2. Something in My Eye

"I'm going to take you back home, and we're going to have coffee, and then we'll change into our dresses, and you'll have the best unnecessary second wedding a girl can wish for," Rory announced with a smile, and Lorelei laughed back.

She took a deep breath, and got up, smoothing out her black skirt. She looked down at it, and exclaimed, "I've just realized something."

"What?" Rory rose as well, and picked up the two bottles of champagne - one empty, one untouched.

"That's my wedding dress."

They both looked at the black outfit, with the cute collar, and the layers of tulle in the classic 50s underskirt.

"It is." Rory smiled. "And it feels just right, as well."

Rory looped her arm through Lorelei's, and they headed home.

"By the way, you do know that you'll have to cut down on coffee now?" Lorelei mentioned in an offhanded tone, and laughed at Rory's flabbergasted expression.

* * *

They were both standing in front of Lorelei's dress, currently adorning a mannequin in her and Luke's bedroom.

"Is it weird that the mannequin sort of looks like you?" Rory asked, eyeing the plastic figure. It was tall, had a black wig on it, and someone added round blue circles for eyes. Rory suspected it was Lorelei. With a sharpie.

"Not as weird as Ms. Celine offering to gift me with Nat." Lorelei adjusted the fascinator on the mannequin's head - white peacock feathers, sequins, and a small blue brooch on the side. To match the eyes. And the necklace Luke had given her all those years ago, and she was going to wear today as something old.

"Nat?"

"That's the name of the mannequin. She's a Virgo and deadly afraid of monkeys. And pugs." Lorelei patted the mannequin's shoulder.

"Neat." Rory sat down the bed, and gave the dress an attentive look over. "It's perfect, mom."

"Yes, I agree. All mannequins should be Virgos." Lorelei started gently taking out shoes from a box on her vanity. "And if you mean the dress, it looks like your grandmother's vow renewal one. Except with a bolero, instead of a jacket. But it was either that, or ordering what's called 'a dress for a mature bride.'"

Rory's face twisted in a disgusted grimace.

"Oh yeah!" Lorelei dramatically waved one white girdle in the air. "Also called 'older brides,' so you know. There are sites for the poor women such as myself. No organza, no tulle, exclusively cheesecloth for fabric, and no strapless dresses."

"Is that some sort of bride racism?" Rory asked in disbelief, and Lorelei raised her arms theatrically.

"You bet, baby. It's ageism, and it's everywhere." She then opened a different box and pulled out a teddy.

"You should show them this thing, and shut their judgy mouths with it!" Rory pointed at the lacy item with her eyes.

"Well, hopefully, it'll end up in someone's mouth tonight," Lorelei purred in a poor impersonation of Eva Gabor's accent in _Aristocats._

"Ew, mom, gross!" Rory waved her hands at her mother, and Lorelei wiggled her eyebrows.

"You're knocked up, kid. You can't play prude now," Lorelei joked back, and then froze with her eyes glassy.

"Hit you again?" Rory asked sympathetically, and Lorelei nodded.

She then put the teddy aside and sat near Rory on the bed.

"How are you holding up, honey?" She opened her arm, and Rory leaned into the familiar embrace.

"I'm… OK," she answered with a sigh. "I figured it out five days ago, and I've been thinking about it the whole time. And… well, I can't really wrap my mind around it, because I've never been pregnant. It's like one of those things, like climbing Everest, or dying one's hair blonde. You won't know what it's like until you do it. And you can't imagine the changes it'll make."

Lorelei rubbed Rory between the shoulder blades, and pressed her temple to the top of Rory's head.

"But when it happens, it's too late. And it's already the best thing that could've happened to you," she whispered, and Rory sighed again.

A knock came to the door.

"Lorelei!" Sookie yelled from behind it, and both Lorelei and Rory straightened up, wiping tears, and clearing their throats.

"We're here," Lorelei called, and Sookie stormed into the room, in a cloud of scarves, and the aroma of something baked, and vanilla and cinnamon flavoured.

"Oh, you're both here! Lorelei, I just saw the Luke cake, and it turned out just perfect. And the food is there, and… What's going on?" she asked, looking between them.

"Nothing," Rory answered quickly, and Lorelei threw her a discreet questioning look. 'Nothing. We're just… feeling nostalgic. It's been an era, you know? Luke and Mom, and finally here, and getting married…Who'd think it was even possible?" Rory gave out a short nervous laugh.

"Oh my god, you've changed your mind, and you are going to run away like you did with Max!" Sookie hollered, and pressed her hands to her chest. "Lorelei!"

"No!" Both Lorelei and Rory answered, but Sookie was already full scale panicking.

"You can't! Not after everything the two of you went through! No, no, you can't do this to him! He's been waiting for so many years! And you've been waiting! You two have been waiting in turns! And the square looks so beautiful! And..."

"Sookie! Sookie!" Lorelei interrupted. "I am not running away."

"You're pregnant!" Sookie cried out, immediately switching from panic to elation. Both Lorelei and Rory froze; and Sookie made several jerky movements, knocked down a vase with flowers, and grabbed Lorelei's upper arm. "You are, aren't you?"

"Sookie, I'm not pregnant!" Lorelei rolled her eyes. "It's too late for me! And why are you even asking? Everything is fine. No one is jittery, no one is having cold feet! We were just remembering the good old times, and got a bit emotional about it."

Sookie gave them both another inquisitive look.

"Well, I'll go take a shower and change," Rory mumbled, and got up. "And then I'll be back to help you with the dress and with your make-up, OK?" She gave Lorelei a soft smile.

"OK," Lorelei agreed, and Rory left the room.

* * *

Lorelei looked at Sookie. Something was off with the chef, to think of it now.

"Sookie?"

Sookie sat down onto the bed, ouched, jumped up, pulled a hair pin out of her buttock, and sat down again.

"Lorelei, I've been thinking… I went back to my kitchen, and cooked all that food for your wedding, and made the cake… the cakes..."

"Thank you?" Lorelei tried to chime in, but Sookie wasn't listening.

"Lorelei, I want back. I want to come back, but… I don't want to at the same time. I like my farm, and the kids are happy there, and we're doing all this work..." Sookie's face scrunched, and she sniffled. "I'm not sure what to do."

Lorelei felt her eyes prickle too. She wished she could tell Sookie to stay, and how much she missed her - but that wouldn't be what a good friend was supposed to do, would it? Sookie needed to do what was best for her.

"How about we wait till after the wedding, and then we'll talk, OK, Sookie?" she offered in a fake chipper tone, and the chef nodded mournfully.

Something had to be done with all this moping.

"Sookie, I have to admit, I'm having a bit of cold feet." Sookie's face flew up, eyes wide open. "Could you remind me why I'm marrying Luke?"

"What, Lorelei?! What?! You can't doubt it! It's Luke! He's been there for you for years. You love him! You two are still hot together! And he fixed Rory's bed when she was five, and the mattress supports snapped, and she fell through, and thought it was an earthquake!"

Lorelei smiled, while the chef continued hollering and bobbing on the bed.

* * *

Rory stood under the hot water, running and drumming to the top of her head. She was feeling somewhat sleepy, probably from the lack of caffeine. Funnily enough, she'd been processing the news for five days, and hadn't even given her diet a thought. Cutting down on coffee sounded… terrifying.

And strangely exciting. Because it would be an actual change, a step. An action she'd take to accommodate this new... circumstance in her life.

What else was there? No alcohol, she knew that much. No shellfish? Or was it more shellfish?

She lathered shampoo into her hair, and then stopped in her tracks. It had been five days. And suddenly it had sunk in. And then she realized, it was because she told Lorelei. She told her Mom that she was pregnant, and it became reality.

Rory splayed her palms on her stomach, and blinked frantically. And then she started blinking even more frantically, since shampoo had just gotten into her eye. She hissed and started flailing in the shower, trying to find the tabs.

"Hon, are you alright there?" Lorelei's loud voice came from behind the door. "It sounds like you're reenacting the car scene from _Titanic_ in there."

"I'm OK, and no, Leonardo isn't hiding here, despite the fact that he's gotten kinda hot in the last few years. With his environmental awareness and such," Rory yelled back, and then heard Luke's 'what's wrong with the two of you?' hollered from out of the living room.

"We are discussing sharing a shower with Leonardo DiCaprio!" Lorelei gleefully shouted.

"Not on our wedding day!" Luke roared, and Rory snorted.

"We are already married!" Lorelei apparently still hadn't given up on her fun.

Rory listened and heard nothing. She could bet her best underwear - which would be her only underwear, to think of it - that they were now kissing in the living room. Or kitchen. Any room would be fine, really.

Rory smiled. It was so great to see them like this. Like they were yesterday - happy, smiling, not able to tear eyes off each other.

At this stage her eye started stinging again, and she had to go back to matters at hand.

* * *

 **Thank you everyone who followed and favourite-d my story, and especially cordial gratitude to those who reviewed!**

 **JBBTRR5ROCKS , thank you for pointing out the discrepancy in my prologue. When writing it, I had just watched the revival, and was so hyped that I just went for it, without checking my facts :) So very non-Rory of me :) I've fixed it now, and rewatched the revival. Thank you for the review!**


	3. Dance With Me

**Author's Note :**

 **I apologise for taking so long to update this story. I've had a few big projects to complete (including finishing my YA fantasy novel), and generally December is a mad month. I paint, and all of a sudden there were all those commissions! Phew! (If you're curious, you can have a look at my blog** **kolmakov dot ca** **to see what I'm doing, and also read my thoughts on Gilmore Girls Revival in the latest post.)**

 **But I'm a bit freer these days, and I can finally relax and indulge in fanfiction writing. I'm planning to update this story no less often than once a week. So stay tuned! (I'm parallel posting it on my Wattpad (links on my blog) in case you prefer the other site.)**

* * *

The wedding went wonderfully. Just as expected, there was one fall; two stumbles; a slightly inappropriate but tasteful joke; Lorelei suddenly ferociously shushing Luke when she suspected he was going for vows; rings lost, and found, under Kirk's chair of course. And suddenly it was over, and Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelei's shoulders, and they kissed. Rory clapped with all Stars Hollow, feeling tears prickle her eyes.

The food was magnificent. People ate and chatted, and hours flashed by like in a dream. Rory was now walking between the tables, familiar faces, one after another, greeting her, and smiling to her.

There was some strange feeling growing in her as well. She caught herself stepping carefully, as if lighter. She also studied others' eyes as if they could guess her little secret.

Lorelei looked gorgeous, in her elegant dress, with her shiny happy eyes. Rory looked at the top table, and saw her Mom laugh loudly, dropping her head back, her hand on Luke's shoulder. He was grinning widely, and shaking his head.

"Rory, dear!" Miss Patty's voice rang, and Rory turned. "Lovely, lovely dress, my dear! And matching a certain tie, isn't it?" the woman asked, and pointed to the right with her eyes.

Jess was sitting at the table with his Mom and TJ. He looked well, in a dark grey suit, and indeed in a dark blue tie, almost matching her dress. It was a coincidence, of course. She wore a lot of blue, to go with her eyes. And he wasn't exactly a colourful tie kind of guy.

Rory smiled to Miss Patty absentmindedly and wandered on.

* * *

On one of the couches she saw Michel. He was twirling a glass in his hand, his face scrunched into the usual irritated grimace.

Rory was going to pass, looking for her grandmother in the crowd, but Michael called her name.

"Rory, please, sit down with me." His tone was mournful. That didn't bode well.

"What's up, Michel?"

"Are there going to be kids, Rory?" Michael looked at her like she was a doctor giving him the diagnosis of his dying relative. Rory twitched.

"What?"

"Kids, Rory. Those horrible slimy creatures that touch everything. They are everywhere. Will there be any? Now that they are married, and Lorelei's bearman is clearly into reproduction… The man has no style."

Rory emitted a nervous laugh and sat near Michael.

"No, I don't think Mom and Luke are planning on having kids."

"But isn't it what people do? Frederic had been converted a minute we tied that knot." Michel made a dramatic gesture around his neck, definitely reminiscent of tightening a noose.

Rory sighed. She of course would need to start telling people soon. Among other things, she was so skinny recently, the news would become obvious pretty soon. But surely, Michel wouldn't be the first one she'd tell. Not that she didn't love the man. It just felt wrong.

"I'm sure you're in no danger from them, Michel." She carefully patted his upper arm, mindful of the fancy suit.

"It's just I've talked with your mother, about _The_ _Damsel Fly._ And I was so excited! But if there is a baby, she won't be able to spend the right amount of time on it, and..."

"What's a 'damsel fly?'" Rory interrupted.

"The spa. The spa we are opening in the old folks home. I proposed the name!" Michel's face lit up. "Dragonfly and damselfly. We can make it stylish, with this little logo of a fly in a hat, and..."

Rory was just half a second too late, and one small stifled snort escaped her. Michel closed his mouth and glared at her.

"Rory?" Jess's voice never sounded better to Rory's ears. She lifted her eyes at him, and saw an outstretched hand. "Dance?"

She grabbed his hand, jumped off the couch, and sped up after him to the dance floor.

* * *

She was so relieved to escape Michel's fury that it took her a few seconds of slow dancing to notice how uneasy Jess looked.

"Hey," she greeted him, and met his eyes.

She'd always loved that amazing greenish hazel, and how attentive and intense his gaze always was. She realised she was ogling and seemingly even daydreaming, and she cleared her throat. It'd just been an emotional month, that's all. The wedding, the news… And again the past had been haunting her recently: she'd bumped into Dean; she was back in Stars Hollow - but not exactly back! Of course, she was confused and agitated! And Jess and she had had history. Long history. That was all that it was.

"Hey." Alright, the voice was lovely too. She liked the voice. Not as much as Dean's. But much more than Logan's. And now, it was time she stopped cataloguing her exes! "You look great," Jess said quietly.

"You too." Her cheery tone was a bit forced. "Great suit."

"Thanks. But it's not just your dress. You look… well. Grounded. Glowing."

"I'm pregnant."

Was that her voice she'd just heard? It sounded like her, but she couldn't believe the words had actually fallen off her lips!

Jess froze, her left hand still lying in his large, long fingered one.

"What?"

"I'm pregnant."

Wow, that was surely easier to say the third time around. His lips parted slightly, and then he frowned. She expected him to move away, but instead he pulled her back to him. With a soft exhale, he started moving again, and she followed.

"So, wow..." he muttered. He was raspy, and Rory tried to catch his eyes. They were a bit glassy, to be honest. "So, what are you going to do now? Marry him? I assume it's that jerk, right?"

"I'm not with Logan anymore. So, it's just me and… the baby." Jess jolted. Rory continued her muttering, "I mean, Mom knows too. I didn't tell Luke yet. But yeah..." She realised he was still staring at her flabbergasted. "Oh, I'm sorry I just sort of blurted it out into your face, but you said 'glowing,' and it just sort of clicked in my head! And you know how sometimes it's easier to say such things to a total stranger, because they won't judge, and you just need to say it to make it real..."

She was still blabbering, when he released her hand, the second hand slid off her waist; and he took a small step back from her. His face was dark.

"I'm not a total stranger, Rory."

"Oh, no! No, Jess, that's not what I meant..."

"If you think that'll push me away, fine," he gritted through his teeth. "If you told me of the baby just so that I kept my distance, you could have just asked."

"What? No! No, Jess! It's just felt right..."

He turned away from her and started marching off the dance floor. Rory shifted between her feet, not sure whether to run after him, but then Luke appeared in her field of vision, and somehow she ended up taking his hand.

"Is he giving you trouble again?" Luke asked, and Rory schooled her face in a calm content expression.

"No, of course not. We just didn't understand each other." She smiled to Luke. He was slightly flushed, and she chuckled. "Congratulations, Mr. Danes!"

He laughed, his features softening.

"Thank you, Ms. Gilmore."

Her Mom was right, Luke definitely knew how to waltz.

* * *

The music was now fast and loud, and the lights were shining on the square. Lorelei felt a bit dizzy, from champagne, and the emotions, and not having slept enough. She poured herself water and drank it greedily.

She looked around the square. Rory was at the steps of the gazebo absorbed in a conversation with Taylor. Kirk was dancing with Lane, while Kwan and Steve while pig sitting, apparently. Babette was discussing something loudly with Sookie and Jackson, while their kids were playing hide and seek under the tables. It seemed everyone was having fun, and Lorelei smiled.

"Second time's the charm," Luke said, and she threw him a side glance. "I mean last night, not the disaster of all those years ago."

"I know." She put her head on his shoulder.

"I saw Jess and Rory argue on the dance floor." Luke grumbled, and Lorelei sighed. Rory didn't want to start telling people yet - but Lorelei was suddenly sure that Jess now knew. She doubted he took it well. Or perhaps, she underestimated him.

"Do you think I need to talk to him?" Luke asked, and Lorelei snorted.

"When did it do anything?"

"True," Luke agreed grudgingly. "She's just in a vulnerable position now..." Lorelei tensed. "With no job, and all this nomad existence..." Luke continued, to Lorelei's relief. "She needs to figure out what she wants, and he never was great help with that."

Lorelei would agree, but she was surprised to feel a sudden urge to defend Jess. He'd gone a long way since that day Luke had brought him to her house for the first time.

"He's helping her with her book, actually." She still couldn't believe she was somewhat supporting Jess Mariano team!

"Oh, really?" Luke asked, and studied the crowd. "Where is he, by the way?"

"I saw him leaving earlier. You didn't expect him to linger, did you?"

Luke shook his head.

"Let's go dance, Mrs. Danes." He rose and opened his hand in invitation.

"In your dreams, Danes," she answered with a wink, and let him lead her to the dance floor.


	4. (Un)Comfortable

**Happy holidays to all of you, whether and whichever you celebrate! Be safe! Be loved! Be happy!**

 **Best,**

 **Katya Kolmakov**

* * *

It was around six p.m. the next day; Rory was sitting on the couch, reading, and chewing popcorn, when the front door opened, and Jess came in. He froze on the threshold, key in his hand; and she gave him a questioning look from over the back of the couch.

"Hey, Jess!"

"What're you doing here?" He was still hovering by the door.

"I live here." She sounded just like her mother. "Well, partially. And you're letting cold air in."

He stomped inside, and closed the door behind him.

"Lorelei called me and asked to check on the house," he grumbled, and dropped his duffel on the floor. "Before I drive to Philly."

"Weird. She does know I'm here, we discussed it… Oh, I get it." Rory rolled her eyes. "That's Mom trying to make us talk."

"What? Why would..." He pressed his lips in an irked way. "I see. Well, that is infinitely more awkward than her trying to keep us apart for almost fifteen years."

Rory gave him a look over. His hair was wet, he probably had just taken a shower. She liked his longer hair, and then she suddenly wondered what it felt like. Not wet of course, it would be cold and slithering between fingers - but when it was dry. It looked shiny and silky. And then she asked herself what was wrong with her. She hadn't had a single thought about Jess's physicality for god knows how many years. When they dated, she was too young. But now, she suddenly remembered how he kissed, and how his hands felt on her skin. He was definitely the best kisser out of the men she dated. Was it the hormones?

"Well, I guess I'll be going," he muttered, and Rory quickly jumped up.

"Please, stay," she exclaimed, and then shied away from how loud her voice was. He gave her a dark look. "Please? Have coffee with me. I have some left-overs after the wedding, in the fridge, and..."

"I'll stay for Sookie's pie," he interrupted her, and then gave her a small smile.

"Sure." Rory climbed off the couch and went to the kitchen. She could hear him rustle by the door, taking off his jacket and boots.

She was getting containers out of the fridge, when he entered and went to the sink to wash his hands.

"Don't be angry with Mom. You two are the only people who know, and I guess she saw that we talked, and that…" Rory didn't want to mention how their conversation the day before ended. "And I guess she thought I needed to talk to someone."

He was silent, his back to her, water running into the sink.

"If you continue washing your hands for another five minutes, I'll start suspecting you collect Kleenex boxes like Howard Hughes," she joked, and he turned off the tabs.

He turned around, a towel in his hands.

"So, just two of us, huh? You didn't tell him yet?" he grumbled without lifting his eyes.

"Luke?" she asked innocently, and he finally gave her a sardonic look.

"The jerk."

It was Rory's turn to hide. She swirled on her heels, stuck her head in the fridge, and started rummaging.

"Do you want some of those pigs in a blanket from yesterday?

"Rory..." His voice dropped.

"Or devilled eggs? Remember how your car got devilled egged just before we started dating." It was her and Lorelei who'd egged his car then, and she always wondered if he knew.

"Rory!"

She straightened out and closed the fridge.

"I haven't. And I don't know if I will..."

"You aren't going to tell him? Rorry, the guy has the right to know..." Jess started, and Rory exhaled sharply.

"No, a guy doesn't have the right to know," she answered firmly and turned to him. "It's my baby. It's a woman's choice. And a guy can be involved if he can bring something good into the kid's life. And Logan… can't."

Jess sighed.

"Rory, you know me. I'm all for women's rights. But I meant it when I said that _the_ guy has the right to know. Don't get me wrong. I hate him. I've always hated him. But with the history you two have… You told me about his proposal, and such, remember? He's always been serious about you, and he'll come through..."

"He's engaged to another woman," Rory blurted out. "He's been sleeping with me while engaged, with his fiancee in the same town." She felt her cheeks burn. Jess gave her a long disbelieving look.

"And you... went along with it?! Rory..."

"Let's eat, OK?" she offered, and sat down. "Please?"

He took the chair in front of her, and she handed him a plate.

They chewed in silence for a few minutes.

Jess was the first to speak. "So, I see you're reading _What To Expect_." He'd had to clear his throat awkwardly before it.

"Yeah. I already signed up for seven sites, and I don't even remember how many newsletters. But I always preferred a hard copy of any book. Though, some stuff seems outdated in it. I think it's either my Mom's, or it's Sookie's. It was in a box in a closet."

He gave her a strange long look, and then went back to chewing.

"Do you want to have a Cary Grant marathon with me?" Rory asked, when Jess was putting his plate in the sink. "Jess, could you turn around and face me while you're considering my unexpected offers and statements, please? I do approve of the shape of your skull - even the Aryan Nazis would have approved, despite your dark hair and the eyes of the wrong colour - but can I see those non-Aryan eyes while you're pondering, please?"

Jess slowly turned and gave her an fake exasperated glare.

"You take your time." She gave a theatrical wave of her hand. "I know, it's scandalous. It's Cary Grant, after all. So, if you need to consult your moral compass to decide..."

"I'll watch Cary Grant with you," Jess interrupted her, and sighed.

* * *

Rory woke up on the couch. She was warm and endlessly comfortable. And then she realised why - she was being spooned. By Jess. They had fallen asleep! Her back was pressed in his chest, and his right upper arm was under her cheek. Rory froze. And boy, were his muscles rock hard!

A few years ago he'd gotten in a horrible car crash. There had been severe damage to his spine; and constant exercise was a requirement - something about building muscles around the vertebrae.

Rory started carefully sliding off the couch. She wasn't sure what she'd say and how she'd behave if he woke up. She made two tiny steps away from the couch, but couldn't help but look back.

She'd never seen Jess sleep. They had had so little time together! They'd hung out, watched movies, kissed… but they were kids then! He looked… peaceful. There was no frown, no tense corners of lips; she could see the long lashes, and the soft line of lips. She also now knew that he smelled very nice - surprisingly, like vanilla. He was so buff, so rough on the edges these days; his previous intensity and self-destructiveness were now more of a somber calm. Still, vanilla didn't fit. There was also some spicy smell as well, probably from shower gel, or aftershave. And then, somehow vanilla and spice added in Rory's mind, and she ended up with… eggnog. That made her snort.

And then she had to dash out of the living room, because he stirred in his sleep. He made a low coarse noise in his throat, and moved the arm she'd slept on.

She was halfway to her room when she remembered about his back, and wondered if it was OK for him to sleep on the couch. She assumed that's where he'd slept at Liz's place, but maybe those couches were different. Rory shifted between her feet and then tiptoed back to him.

"Jess..." Her whisper was hissy. He took a deep breath in, his chest under a white t-shirt rose sharply, but he didn't wake up. "Jess..."

The next sound was more of a moan, and Rory wasn't sure what she thought - or felt - from the sound of it.

"Jess..." She raised her voice this time, and his eyes slowly opened. He was still sleeping though, the hazel irises were clouded. "Should you be sleeping on the couch? I mean your back… And it's uncomfortable… And..."

He blinked slowly, but no answer followed.

"Should you… go to bed? My bed… I mean, Mom and Luke would kill us probably if you slept in theirs, and..."

He made another bear like sound, and then rolled off the bed, and strangely keeling on one side he stumbled towards the door to her room.

"Jess..." Rory started, and then he suddenly wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her after him.

It took her five more 'Jess's' and him not saying anything in return for them to somehow end up in her bedroom, and then he simply climbed on the bed, pulled her after him, and arranged her in exactly the same way as they had been lying on the couch - just more comfortably. She stretched her hand and covered them both with her throws and quilts.

"Night, Rory..." mumbled into her hair was the last thing she heard before she fell asleep - better than she had in months, and even maybe in years.


	5. Morning

**Author's note : **

**There has been once again a delay in my updates, I apologise. Life had been a wee bit hectic recently. I'm trying to submit my romance/erotica/parody/Greek mythology bonanza titled "Hammer Up!" to Amazon Kindle Scout, and I have encountered quite a fascinating aggro :) Apparently, a vector drawing of an ancient statue of Aphrodite is 'suggestive of sex or violence.' If you're curious, check out my blog kolmakov dot ca with the discussion of it. **

**I'm certain I'll soon prevail over the prudeness of their standards, and then the book will go up for voting. Once it's up, I'll let everyone know. You'll be able to read a sample, vote if it's to your liking, and after 30 days of trial everyone who voted will receive a FREE COPY of the book.**

 **Thank you for your patience, and now to Stars Hollow!**

 **Cheerks,**

 **kkolmakov**

* * *

Rory opened her eyes, and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It had Baymax on it, since it was currently her Mom's favorite movie. It also didn't work. And then Rory turned and looked at the man sleeping near her.

It was a strange experience. Not every day one gets a chance to study another's face without making it awkward. Also, she just had a dream about him, and it was a strange dream, even by her and her Mom's standards. It was as if there were two plots: one was her Mom telling her about the dream she had had the night before, and it was the same dream from all those years ago. With Luke making her breakfast, and 'talking to her stomach,' because she was pregnant with twins. At the same time, Rory saw in her dream herself, in exactly the same situation, walking into the kitchen, as Lorelei from the first layer of her dream was narrating it. And then Jess, who was flipping pancakes, turned to her. He then knelt in front of her, his warm palm lay on her lower back, and he murmured, "Morning, Rory and Lorry."

And she said, "We are not calling our kids Rory and Lorry. Firstly, they sound too close, and that's confusing. You'd call one, and always get the other one. Secondly, these are Butch and Kid."

And Jess in her dream lifted his gorgeous eyes, without getting up, and gave her that wonderful lopsided smirk of his. "It's just because you watched the movie last night. And you didn't even finish it..." She opened her mouth, but he didn't let her speak. "Ah, ah, ah, no, I know what you're going to say. You're going to lie that you were tired because Rory and Lorry were doing somersaults in your stomach, and not at all because you get too upset by the ending. And answering question you're preparing to ask, I don't know why I'm so cruel to you, and yes, pancakes are ready." And then he pulled her closer, and she pretended to resist, and he pressed his nose to her stomach and rubbed it funnily side to side.

The awake Rory decided she needed coffee. And to stop thinking about Jess's hand just above her butt. But then she remember that coffee intake now had to be limited, and she felt immediately sad.

There were so many things to change now. Her whole lifestyle would have to be put on its head. She needed to think about what she ate, what she drank, or more importantly what she couldn't drink. There were all those questions, like finding a doctor, and the ultrasound, and the stroller, and what college the kid would go to. Rory took a shuddered breath in, trying to calm down. That was normal, she reminded herself. Worrying and being anxious was normal. She was pregnant!

"Morning," the real Jess muttered near her, and she cringed, regretting not having fled before he woke up. She really didn't know what to say to him. Except maybe a polite, 'Good morning.'

"Sleep well?" he asked. They were lying on their sides, facing each other, and the bed was still that narrow one from her childhood slash teen years. There wasn't much room between them right now.

"Yeah. Better than I have in years actually," Rory muttered, suddenly insecure about her morning breath, or a potential imprint of a pillow on her cheek, or how her hair looked. It's been awhile since she woke up with a man. And it had always been Logan - aside from the now iconic anecdote about Dean in Miss Patty's studio from all those years. Logan knew what to expect, and Rory knew what he'd be like in the morning: he was an early riser, and not a fan of anything… frisky before a shower and a breakfast. And it served Rory just fine.

She realized she'd been blankly staring at Jess. She blinked and was going to say something about coffee and maybe Pop Tarts, when he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. She felt like breath was knocked out of her - but she couldn't say it was a bad feeling.

She expected him to kiss her. She suddenly remembered how he kissed. Better than Logan, and better than Dean; hundred times better than those few random kisses she snatched in her life - Jess was good. They, as they said about movies, had most chemistry. It had always been natural, organic, sort of like a continuation of being in proximity of each other. With Dean she was learning, and they grew up together; among other things, their bodies did as well. Logan was skillful, he had so much experience over her; and she'd never forgotten it - she always felt as if she had to raise her game, to fit the bill, so to say. With Jess it was like breathing.

He studied her face, and then pressed his lips in a familiar frustrated gesture.

"Rory, I want to..." He paused, and she licked her lips. "But we shouldn't. Not in your state..."

It was really hard to think near him. She shortly wondered, whether it was about being in the same bed with him, feeling his hand on her back, or any man would affect her like that. And then she finally heard what he said.

"Yeah, you're right..." she muttered. "I mean, I haven't come to terms with the whole pregnancy thing myself..."

"I didn't mean because you're pregnant," he interrupted her softly, and then his arm left her waist where it had lain in a weight that she couldn't ignore. He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "I mean the whole drifting thing, being in the rut, not know where you're going, and what you're going to do… You're vulnerable right now, Rory." She frowned, and he gave her a small warm smile. "Besides other things, I'd really hate to be a rebound guy. Or your little vengeance to the jerk… Again... And I'd hate you to kiss me right now just because you're emotional, and it's warmer under the blanket when there're two people."

"And because it has always been very good," Rory added, and he bit into his bottom lip.

"You're making the whole noble thing kind of difficult to keep up, Gilmore," he joked, his eyebrows hiked up in his habitual sardonic gesture.

Rory snorted, and then impulsively moved ahead and hid her nose into his neck. Eggnog, he definitely smelled of eggnog.

"When are Luke and your Mom going to be back?" he asked, and she felt his hand cup the back of her head. He had wonderful strong hand, long fingers, very masculine, with gorgeous narrow wrists.

"In two weeks. They went on a boat trip, did you know?" He nodded. "I mean, it's crazy..."

"Your Mom on a boat? Yes, it is Yukio Mishimo level of insanity." Rory snorted again.

"I bet they'll just dock at the first motel that has hot showers and a coffee machine, and stay there for the full two weeks of their 'honey fortnight,'" Rory said.

"Honey fortnight?" Jess's voice shook with laughter.

"That's how my Mom called it. She wanted to go with 'pudding fortnight,' but Luke vetoed it, claiming it sounded like a title for a bad movie."

"It does sound like a title for a bad movie," Jess agreed lightly, while his hand started stroking the back of her head absentmindedly. "What do you think: Seth Rogen?"

"No, I'm getting a British vibe from it. You know, because in British slang..."

"Pudding means any kind of dessert, I get it," Jess finished, chuckling. "Simon Pegg, then?"

It was really hard to keep up with their verbal volleyball when he was running his fingers through her hair. Also, it was most curious that he continued doing it with a completely nonchalant face; and it was even more curious that she didn't acknowledge it in any way, and didn't try to stop him.

"No, I'd go with Nick Frost, post Simon Pegg era."

"Not a fan," Jess said in a fake critical tone.

"Well, _Pudding Fortnight_ isn't a very good movie, so it's OK to cast him." They both laughed, and then he tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Coffee, Gilmore?"

"Yeah, I'm allowed a cup," she agreed, and he rolled away and sat on the edge of the bed. "Jess?"

"Yeah?" He arched his back, lifted his arms above his head, and shimmied his shoulders. Rory cowardly shifted her eyes to stop staring at how the muscles moved on his back under the white t-shirt.

"Can you… stay with me for a bit?"

He looked at her over his shoulder.

"Well, I do expect a breakfast, after our shared night of debauchery." He gave her a squinted mischievous look.

"I mean... for a few days, maybe." Rory wasn't sure what came over her to offer this.

"Or for the whole pudding fortnight?" he asked slowly.

"Well, I know you have to go back to Philly, you have work, and..."

"I'll stay," he interrupted her again.

"Good," she answered quickly. He studied her for a few seconds, it took a lot of effort not to squirm under his look, or even hide under the blanket; and then he gave out a low throaty laugh, and jumped off the bed.

When he left, Rory rolled on her stomach and pressed her face into the pillow. It smelled like vanilla and nutmeg and… Jess.


	6. Work and Wok

**Author's Note : Please, support my book "Hammer Up!" on Amazon Kindle Scout. You will only need to nominate it, by clicking one button, and if it gets enough support, it'll be published and you will get a FREE COPY. If it wins I get a small monetary bonus, which I'm in dire need of.**

 **You can find the link on my blog: kolmakov dot ca; or go straight to Amazon Kindle Scout page. **

**Thank you,**

 **Katya Kolmakov**

* * *

They were sitting at the table, and Rory looked mournfully into her empty mug.

"That's just pathetic. I even added cream in it to make it more pregnancy friendly. It undermines everything I believe in." She sadly clanked the spoon to the side of the mug.

Jess chuckled.

"Don't read pregnancy blogs then," he said, and got up to pour himself another cup of coffee. Rory emitted an envious sigh. "There's all that stuff about no Pop Tarts there too."

"No! Say it's not true!" she exclaimed, and he laughed openly.

"Well, not specifically Pop Tarts, but I'm sure you can find 'nothing out of a box' amendment somewhere there, on at least half of them."

Rory groaned, and dropped her head on her folded arms. She felt Jess's warm hand pat her shoulder, and he sat down again.

"What do you want to do today?" he asked, and she groaned again, without lifting her head again. "Rory?"

"I officially have nothing on my to-do list."

"How about that book of yours?" he asked in a fake light tone, and she lifted her face.

"Did you read it?" she asked in a small voice.

"The first three chapters you gave me?" he asked, and she nodded. "Yeah."

Rory lifted her eyebrows in a universal move encouraging him to speak, but he just sipped his coffee with a calm face. Normally, she wouldn't press. Who'd want to sound needy and seeking validation? But she was sleepy, coffee deprived, feeling insecure - and then she remembered it was Jess; and maybe, these days, when everything seemed so strange, she trusted Jess.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, and he lifted the mug to his lips. "Jess!"

"I won't tell you."

"What?!"

"I'm not telling you. Because it's your book, and you shouldn't be influenced by anything. Not me, not a potential reader, not your mother..." He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Well, you and Mom surely don't matter," Rory drew out, and he chuckled. "But a reader… Remember what John Cheever said?"

" _I do not understand the capricious lewdness of the sleeping mind?_ " Jess asked, and she snorted.

"No. ' _I can't write without a reader. It's precisely like a kiss - you can't do it alone._ '" And then she realized she'd just mentioned a kiss. Was it childish to get flustered over it at thirty two? Maybe. But yet there she was thinking back at a few minutes ago, in her bed. She shook off her ridiculous daydreaming. "I need to know how it reads, Jess."

"No, you don't." He leaned back in his chair. "You know you write well. You have the right education, and enough experience in all those newspapers you edited. Your skill is there; your language, your style are great..." He shrugged. Rory sensed a 'but' there.

"But?"

"No but's," he answered nonchalantly.

"Jess!"

"Breathe out, Gilmore." He got up and put his mug into the sink. "Just write, OK? And when it's done, I'll be there." He sounded really serious, there at the end, and she suddenly felt a surge of affection for him.

Funny, it had been just a few days ago when he was just Jess, a guy from her past. The one she hadn't seen for four years. He had been Luke's nephew, and a guy she'd briefly dated. And suddenly there he was, standing in her Mom's kitchen, saying he'd be there for her - to say nothing of the fact that he was one out of the two people she'd told she was pregnant.

"How about we sit in front of each other at this table and both write?" he asked. Rory whipped her head to stare at him.

"Are you writing something too?"

"Yeah, it's… just an idea for now. Nothing big."

"Nothing big..." she repeated slowly. "How many pages do you have by now?"

"Three..." Jess cleared his throat. "Hundred..."

"What? Wow..." She wasn't sure what she felt. Sadly, there might have been a bit of envy there. "Three hundred pages… What is it? What's it about?"

"OK, OK, back off." He waved his hands in the air with a laugh. "How about we work for couple hours, and then later, in the evening I'll let you have a peek?"

"Deal," Rory agreed readily.

* * *

Writing in front of Jess proved itself completely impossible. He wasn't looking; he kept typing, and clicking something on his Mac, probably doing research; he was even wearing earphones. But he was here, and his eyebrows were jumping up and down; then he was frowning; and he smelled so nice!

"You are not working," he said, each word separate.

"You know that calling this 'work' kills any joy I was getting out of it?"

He looked at her over the screen.

"It is work, Rory. The whole inspiration-art-tapping-into-the-universal-absolute-of-human-creativity thing that they preach? Bull. You sit down, write, edit, hate it, and then something works out."

"Sore spot?" she asked, and he barked a low laugh.

"Yeah." She smiled to him. "Sorry."

"No worries. But what's this about?"

"It's… how it's perceived. Like it's a hobby, you know? You know those question that follow when you say you're a writer? The whole 'oh OK, but what do you do for living?' kind of questions. Like if I write, I don't work. And can't support myself. Or someone else..." He suddenly stopped, and hid behind his screen.

"Someone else like a..?" She knew he'd just slipped, said too much, and prodding him was maybe not something a good friend would do, but something pushed her. Maybe, the strange closeness of the last hours did. Or a small voice in her head, whispering that it was a big deal.

"Like a family, Rory. OK?" he snapped, and then sighed. "Sorry. I was just thinking this morning… I mean…"

"When did you even have time to think some complicated deep thoughts?" Rory asked, trying to lighten the mood. But he pressed his lips and closed his computer.

"Listen, I'm going to say something right now, and I want you to give me the benefit of the doubt, OK?"

"What do you mean by the benefit of the doubt?"

"I mean, try to take it the best way possible. I know, I don't have the best record here, and there's no good way to say it… But if you ever need any help, with the baby… and the money, I want to help." He exhaled sharply, and gave her a cautious look as if expecting her to yell at him.

"Did you expect me to feel like a charity case, and get defensive?" She laughed softly. He smiled back with relief.

"Yeah… Or remind me that you could never rely on me before, and that every time you needed me to be there, I didn't come through."

"You're here now." It sounded very cliché - but he was.

He squirmed on his chair in discomfort. It looked rather... endearing, to be honest; since he was so buff and gruff these days, but the same boyish gestures were there. "OK, now go back to work."

"Aye, aye, captain." He snorted, and opened his laptop again.

* * *

She did very little, mostly wasting time on social media, when it was finally time to take a break. He apparently now cooked, and there were even some groceries in the house, since an actual living cooking person resided in it these days. Rory pretended to read her _What to Expect_ while he was slicing chicken and boiling pasta.

"All this is mildly terrifying," Rory mumbled, eyeing a picture of a fetus.

"That's too cliché even for a journalist, Gilmore," Jess answered, without turning away from the stove, where he was frying vegetables. "How about 'ominously daunting?'"

Rory gave his back a sarcastic look. And then she had to once again cut her eyes away from the muscles under the t-shirt, asking herself yet again if her sudden interest in his physique was indeed hormones. Not according to her book, actually; excessive libido was supposed to kick in later.

"Have you thought of calling him?" Jess suddenly asked, and that was like a bucket of icy water.

She decided that not answering was an obvious answer, and dropped her eyes to the page. A drawing of a fetus was surely less 'ominously daunting' than a conversation about Logan.

Apparently, Jess's back had the same super power as Luke's: they both could express a wide range of emotions with it, and currently Rory was getting a clear insistent vibe. She sighed and put the book down.

"I decided I'll let him know in six weeks. If everything goes well," she added in a meaningful tone.

Jess hummed confirming, and sprinkled some unknown spices over the vegetables he had in the pan. It smelled mouth-watering. Rory decided that was as much of this conversation as she was prepared to have, and she got up and looked over his shoulder.

"That looks amazing," she murmured, and stretched her hand to an especially delicious looking piece. A gentle tap of his wooden spoon made her jerk it back, and then she slapped his shoulder.

And then she choked in her own laugh, because he was looking at her, and she knew that look! Lowered lashes, his eyes on her lips, his own lips softly parting - and then he jerked, and cowardly shifted his eyes at his cooking.

Rory fled. She didn't know herself why. Maybe, because it was so new; maybe, because he was right, and she was vulnerable. So, mumbling something about forgetting her phone in the bedroom, she backed out of the kitchen, and ran.

She flopped on her bed, and immediately sat up with a jerk, since there was still that vanilla spicy smell on her sheets and her pillow. She didn't lie though. Her phone was on the bedside table. She absentmindedly picked it up and saw that there was a missed call on it.

And it was from Logan.


End file.
